Fat children and adolescents are a common sight nowadays. Childhood obesity is on the increase, and it has reached epidemic levels in America, U.K. and Australia. A staggering number of over 15% of the children in the U.S. are considered overweight. A child is diagnosed to be suffering from childhood obesity when the weight of the child is way above the mean for their height and age. It has also been observed that the body mass index for overweight children is above the norm.
When children start eating more than what their bodies require, all the extra calories consumed are stored in the body in the form of fat. Apart from making them obese, these extra pounds make them more susceptible to adult health-related problems, such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and high cholesterol.
The health problems caused by obesity are associated with the metabolic syndrome, which is a collection of disorders related primarily to insulin resistance.
Recent studies have shown that overweight children suffer from terrible social stigma. This social stigma makes these children become self-conscious about their own bodies.
By improving the diet and exercise levels in your family, not only will you be able to fight excess fat in your children, you will also be able to assist them to adjust better, emotionally, physically, and socially.
Via: Yahoo! News
